Ticket dispensing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A device for dispensing tickets from a continuous strip of paper ( 1 ), each ticket being constituted by an end segment of the strip suitable for being grasped by a recipient of the ticket and detached by applying traction to said end, the device comprising a mechanism for pinching the paper along a line ( 3 ) extending transversely across the strip ( 1 ), and downstream from this mechanism, a cutting blade ( 4 ) extending substantially transversely across the strip, with the strip bearing against the cutting edge ( 5 ) of the blade when the above-mentioned traction is applied, wherein the cutting edge ( 5 ) of the blade is formed by a straight-line segment that intersects the plane of the strip of paper ( 1 ) in contact with the blade ( 4 ) prior to cutting and containing the pinch line ( 3 ), with the projection ( 7 ) of the blade onto said plane converging towards the pinch line ( 3 ) from the point ( 6 ) where the paper first comes into contact with the blade ( 4 ).

The present invention relates to a device for dispensing tickets, eachbeing constituted by a segment detached from a continuous strip ofpaper. More precisely, the device of the invention is associated with amachine for printing tickets that constitute a receipt or a writtenrecord of a transaction such as a payment by means of a credit card.Still more precisely, one particular application of the device lies inbeing associated with a thermal printer.

There are two main varieties of ticket-dispensing machines: those inwhich the ticket is presented to the recipient already detached orpredetached from the strip from which it is derived, and those in whichthe ticket is presented while still attached to the strip and it is bypulling on the ticket that it becomes detached from the strip where itpasses over the sharp knife edge of a cutting blade. Machines of thesecond variety present the advantage of having cutting apparatus that isstatic, i.e. without any moving part, and thus simpler to maintain andoperating without any need for power to be fed to move a moving cuttingblade. In contrast, their drawback lies in the absence of a sharp andclean cut. The parting line is usually serrated or at an angle, and thetape is torn rather than being cut by the blade. If the blade had asharp knife edge instead of serrations, then a difficulty arises at thepoint where cutting starts since cutting must start cleanly and mustoccur whatever the traction force applied to the ticket by itsrecipient. The most recent state of the art in this field consists inproviding a V-shaped blade with a central point where the paper beginsto be cut when the recipient pulls the paper. However, such a blade iscomplex and expensive to manufacture.

The invention proposes obtaining a cut that even if no better than thatof a pointed blade is at least equivalent thereto, and to do with ablade that is much less expensive since it is straight-edged. The bladecan have a cutting knife edge that is linear or serrated.

To this end, the invention relates to a device for dispensing ticketsfrom a continuous strip of paper, each ticket being constituted by anend segment of the strip suitable for being grasped by a recipient ofthe ticket and detached by applying traction to said end, the devicecomprising a mechanism for pinching the paper along a line extendingtransversely across the strip, and downstream from this mechanism, acutting blade extending substantially transversely across the strip,with the strip bearing against the cutting edge of the blade when theabove-mentioned traction is applied. According to the invention, thecutting edge of the blade is formed by a straight-line segment thatintersects the plane of the strip of paper in contact with the bladeprior to cutting and containing the pinch line, with the projection ofthe blade onto said plane converging towards the pinch line from thepoint where the paper first comes into contact with the blade.

In other words, if the strip of paper is horizontal between the pinchline and the cutting blade, then the cutting edge of the blade slopesdownwards and towards the pinch line. These two slopes make it possiblefirstly to create a cutting point at a location where traction force isconcentrated when the segment of strip to be detached is pulled, therebyensuring that cutting is started cleanly (at the high point of theblade), while its slope towards the pinch line is provided to correctfor the angled line of cut that would normally arise from a blade havingits cutting edge sloping in a vertical plane parallel to the pinch line.

When the device of the invention is associated with a thermal printer,the pinch line is the line of contact between the print head and thepaper-driving capstan beneath it. It is not unusual for the forceexerted by the print head on the capstan to be insufficient to ensurethat the paper is properly pinched, and as a result it can happen thatpaper is allowed to slide while it is being cut. The paper is alsoretained by friction between the portion thereof which is wrapped aroundthe capstan since the capstan is made of a material to which paper“adheres” if only to ensure that the capstan can drive it. The tractionforce, at least before cutting starts, is thus exerted indisadvantageous manner on the capstan which is subjected to interferingforces which, in the long run, harm proper operation thereof.

To remedy that, according to a feature of the invention, the blade issecured to a support mounted to pivot about a fixed axis substantiallyparallel to a straight line extending transversely relative to the stripof paper and situated beneath the cutting edge, being set backtherefrom, said support presenting, upstream from the cutting blade, ajaw-forming portion which advances towards the strip to come against afixed abutment when the end of the strip is subjected to theabove-mentioned traction. This jaw and this abutment form an additionalpinch mechanism which either prevents the paper sliding while it isbeing cut, or at least relieves the capstan of part of the tractionforce that results from the recipient taking hold of the ticket.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention appear from thefollowing description of various embodiments.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a characteristic of the invention; and

FIGS. 2 and 3 are simplified views of two variant embodiments of thecutting mechanism of the invention associated with a thermal printer.

FIG. 1 shows a strip of paper 1 which passes over a roller 2. The stripof paper can be pinched (arrows P) along a generator line of the roller.Beyond the roller, in the travel direction D of the strip, it passesover a cutting blade 4 which extends substantially transversely relativeto the strip. This cutting blade has a sharp or cutting edge 5 (a knifeedge), shown here as having no serrations.

In order to ensure that cutting is started properly when the strip ofpaper is pulled downwards, thus causing the paper to be folded toposition 1′ about the cutting blade 4, it is necessary for the tractionforce T to be concentrated at a single point of contact between theblade and the strip of paper. To do this, the knife edge 5 of the bladeis formed by a straight-line segment which intersects the plane that istangential to the roller 2, that contains the strip of paper, and thatincludes the pinch line 3. In other words, when in FIG. 1 the strip ofpaper is pulled in the substantially horizontal direction D, the knifeedge of the blade 5 is in contact with the side 1 a of the strip ofpaper, whereas the knife edge is situated well below the opposite side 1b of the paper (gap x). The point of contact 6 between the strip and theblade thus constitutes a point where cutting starts when the strip isfolded downwards and traction T is applied thereto.

It will be understood that if the blade 4 extended accuratelyperpendicularly to the strip of paper 1, then the effect of cuttingtaking place progressively along the knife edge 5 from the side 1 a tothe side 1 b, would be to cause the point of intersection between theknife edge 5 and side 1 b to be situated further from the pinch line 3than the point 6. This would result in the strip being cut along a linethat does not extend across it exactly perpendicularly.

To correct this defect, the cutting blade is made to slope towards thepinch line 3 so that its portion situated beneath the side 1 b of thestrip 1 is closer to said pinch line so that the point of intersectionbetween the knife edge 5 and the side 1 b is at the same distance fromthe line 3 as is the point 6. To express this in geometrical terms, theknife edge 5 of the cutting blade is said not only to intersect theplane of the strip containing the pinch line 3, but also that itsprojection 7 onto this plane converges on said pinch line. The angle ofconvergence A is naturally only a few degrees (it is exaggerated in thediagram of FIG. 1).

FIG. 2 shows some of the elements described above and they are given thesame references. The roller 2 constitutes the capstan of a thermalprinter whose print head is reference 8 and has a line of heater points9 urged resiliently against the roller 2 by a resilient member 10. Onleaving the thermal printer, the strip of paper 1 is passed into a chute11 at the end of which it can be grasped by the user.

The cutter device of the invention is situated at the entrance to thechute 11, so as to project into the path followed by the paper, therebyensuring that the paper comes cleanly into contact with the cuttingblade when it is pulled.

The cutting blade 4 is carried by (or is integral with) a support 12which is mounted to pivot about an axis 13 extending substantiallyparallel to a straight line at right angles to the strip of paper andset back from the cutting knife edge 5 of the blade so that traction onthe paper as transmitted to the blade and to the support generatespivoting torque on the blade about the axis 13. The support has a topsurface 14 forming a paper guide at the entrance to the chute 11, saidsurface 14 being defined downstream by the cutting blade 4 (or a cuttingedge of the support itself) and upstream by a portion 15 situated facingan abutment 16 which forms the entrance to the chute 11. The relativepostion of the knife edge 5 of the blade 4 and the axis 13 is such thatwhen the strip of paper 1 is pulled from outside the chute 11, thesupport 12 can tilt in a clockwise direction inside the chute 11 untilthe portion 15 comes into contact with the abutment 16. A resilientreturn member 17 acts on the support 12 to move the jaw 15 away from theabutment 16 when the traction force ceases to be applied.

It will be understood that at the end of the printing, when the userseeks to obtain a ticket, the user pulls on the end of the strip 1 thatis presented, thereby causing the support 12 to tilt until the portion15 pinches the strip against the abutment 16. The strip segment is thencut off by the knife edge 5 of the blade 4 and at the end of cutting,the spring 17 moves the jaw 15 away from the abutment 16. A coating canbe provided on one or other of the surfaces of the jaw 15 and theabutment 16 that come into contact with the paper so as to enhance thetension of the paper when these two portions come into contact.

FIG. 3 shows a variant embodiment of the ticket dispenser of theinvention in which certain elements that are described above are giventhe same references. In this variant, adhesion of the strip of paper onthe roller 2 of the thermal printer is assumed to be sufficient towithstand the traction exerted on the strip when dispensing a ticket.The cutting blade 4 in this case is fixed relative to the elements ofthe frame which define the chute 11, and it is situated at the entranceof the chute, projecting into the path of the paper. It is in the formof a fine blade fitted to a portion of the frame of the device definingthe entrance to the chute. The surface for guiding the paper between theoutlet from the thermal printer and the inlet to the chute 11 is formed,at least in part, by the top face of a flap 18 situated upstream fromthe blade 4 and pivotally mounted along its knife edge furthest from theblade 4 about an axis 19 that is substantially parallel to a lineextending at right angles across the strip of paper, while its free and18 a adjacent to the blade 4 forms a sliding surface for the strip ofpaper that is situated at a level that is higher than the level of thecutting knife edge 5 such that when no traction is applied to the stripof paper, after a ticket has been cut off, the leading knife edge of thestrip can advance into the chute 11 under drive from the roller 2without coming into abutment against the blade 4. When traction isexerted on the strip of paper, this sliding surface as formed by theflap 18 can retract at least to the level of the cutting knife edge ofthe blade 4, against a resilient return member 20, thereby allowing thepaper to come into contact with the cutting knife edge of the blade 4.

In FIG. 2, chain-dotted lines referenced 18′show a similar arrangementincluded in the support 12 on which the blade 4 is pivoted.

In a variant embodiment of the flap 18, an elastically flexible tonguesuch as a spring blade possessing its own return effect can be providedembedded at one end in the frame beside the capstan while its free endis close to the blade 4 and tends to move into the chute so as to cometo rest in abutment against fixed abutments on either side of the stripof paper in the vicinity of the blade 4, and keeping this free end at alevel that is slightly above the level of the knife edge of the blade.

The device of the invention can be suitable for being opened, i.e. giventhat the strip of paper comes from a roll put into place in a magazinein the device, it can be convenient to be able to insert the roll afterthe capstan has been separated from the thermal print head. Under suchcircumstances, the capstan, the chute, and the cutting blade are carriedby a cover which is hinged to a frame which carries the print head 8,and the hinge of the cover can be about an axis 21 (see FIG. 2) situatedin such a manner relative to the line of heater points 9 of the printer8 that the printer co-operates with the capstan to form a conventionalmeans for locking the cover resiliently to the frame of the device.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for dispensing tickets from a continuous strip of paper, each ticket being constituted by an end segment of the strip suitable for being grasped by a recipient of the ticket and detached by applying traction to said end segment, the device comprising a mechanism for pinching the paper along a line extending transversely across the strip, and downstream from this mechanism, a cutting blade extending substantially transversely across the strip, with the strip bearing against the cutting edge of the blade when the above-mentioned traction is applied, wherein the cutting edge of the blade is formed by a straight-line segment that intersects a plane containing the strip of paper and converges towards the pinch line from said contact so that, when said traction is applied, said paper strip first comes into contact with said blade at a point located at one side edge of said strip.
 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said blade is secured to a support mounted to pivot about a fixed axis substantially parallel to a straight line extending transversely relative to the strip of paper and situated beneath the cutting edge, being set back therefrom, said support presenting, upstream from the cutting blade, a jaw-forming portion which advances towards the strip to come against a fixed abutment when the end of the strip is subjected to the above-mentioned traction, and which co-operates with said abutment to form said pinch mechanism.
 3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the blade support is continuously subjected to force from a return member tending to move said jaw-forming portion away from the abutment.
 4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the cutting edge is provided at the top of the blade remote from the above-mentioned pinch line, and wherein the device includes a paper guide surface between the pinch line and the cutting edge of the thin blade, which surface is formed by a flap that is retractable between a first position in which its end close to the blade is situated above the cutting edge and a second position in which said flap is situated no higher than said cutting edge, the flap being subjected to a return member tending to keep it permanently in its first position. 